I love a good bargain store like Ross or T.J. Maxx. It's always a treasure hunt and you never know…read morewhat you might find. I was a shopper here for years and when T.J. Maxx used to be next door, (it's since moved to the end of the Target shopping center across Route 1) I'd often go to both stores back to back. Then I'd go to Red Moon for pizza, but that's gone now too, along with Petco, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Charming Charlie. This shopping center has changed quite a bit over the last two years. Anyway, it seems prior to reorganizing the layout of the f this store, which has been about three years now I think, this used to be a decent Ross. The quality of the clothes and the other merchandise was always lower than T.J. Maxx, but so were the prices, and you could get decent women's shirts, purses, other accessories, household decor, and pet supplies. The store was fully stocked and usually pretty organized.
Now it's a totally different shopping experience. I went last night because I was in the area, and the store was a mess. When I first walked in near the shoe section, there were shoes strewn all over the floor. The makeup/beauty section was sparsely stocked and unorganized. They didn't have a lot of purses either. The selection of women's clothes was horrendous. I was looking at shirts and they didn't have one brand that I recognized and they were all really ugly and cheap looking. I don't know where they get their clothing but it's bad. That being said, I did happen to see a cool brown hoodie with colorful mushrooms and flowers on it. It was really soft and comfy, perfect for hanging out at home relaxing when it's a bit chilly. It had no price tag but I was hoping it was about $10.99. I took it up to the register and lo and behold it was $12.99. So even though I was not looking for a hoodie, I happened on that. That's how you have to shop at Ross. If you're looking for something specific, you'll probably never find it. The home goods section was better stocked with towels and things like that but they did not have a lot of food items. I ended up getting some adorable pink towels though. Again, not what I was looking for.
Overall, the store is not fully stocked, it's disorganized, definitely messy, and some of the merchandise is really low end. It's not exactly visually appealing to shop here either. You can still get some decent things for cheap though, you just have to be in the mood to look. I didn't use the dressing room or the rest room and I'd be pretty afraid to go in there unless it is as a dire emergency. The checkout line was long for 8:30 on a Wednesday night. There were at least ten people in line and only one cashier was open. Eventually they opened another line. I saw only two employees in the store. The young woman who checked me out was nice. She was able to easily look up the price of the sweatshirt and she was pleasant. They have sturdy brown paper bags with handles now. They're an improvement over the cheap plastic bags they used to have. I'd go back to this Ross but would not drive out of my way to do so. I like that Ross is open late, since that's the best time to shop when the store isn't crowded. It would be an insufferable nightmare on a Saturday afternoon. Check it out, don't expect much, and you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find here.
